I saw something recently on the TV that disturbed me —besides the new fall lineup, including “Pan Am” and “Terra Nova,” on another network.

According to Dianne Sawyer, nearly half of all Americans have asked about, talked about or received help with mental illness. That means more American adults than ever are reporting being disabled by the symptoms of depression, anxiety or other emotional problems.

A report published recently in the American Journal of Public Health found people who said they couldn’t perform everyday tasks or engage in social and leisure activities because of a mental illness increased from 2 percent in 1999 to 2.7 percent in 2009 — nearly 2 million more people disabled by mental distress in the past decade. The report was based on 10 years of responses from more than 300,000 adults ages 18-64 who responded to an annual survey.

Yours truly has counted himself among the mentally distressed since 1998, when I was officially diagnosed with depression. I also have anxiety and bipolar issues.

Bipolar disorder, or manic depression, is an illness in which people alternate between feeling very good (“highs” or mania) and very bad (“lows” or depression). Quick and severe mood swings range from extreme energy to deep despair.

Bipolar mood episodes are different from ordinary mood changes because your normal life activities — and day-to-day lives of your family, co-workers, roommates and teammates — are disrupted. Sometimes, it may be more than someone in a bad mood.

High unemployment, economic hardships and a growing sense of isolation have put greater stress on many Americans, who are also getting more comfortable with talking about their mental distress and reported their mental health problems had a greater impact on their daily lives.

While there have been many more bad days than good since my diagnosis, I’ve fought a daily battle to navigate through my disorder and try to write about it every so often, so if one person reads it and may question whether they have a mental health illness, hopefully they’ll realize depression, anxiety and bipolar men and women of all walks of life can maintain a positive lifestyle. Yes, you can be happy. You cannot do it alone.

Getting help is key. Just 2 percent of people in the report who had no contact with mental health services reported the greatest mental health disability.

Thursday is National Depression Screening Day. Thousands of community organizations, colleges and military installations will host screening events for depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety and posttraumatic stress disorder. Anyone can take an anonymous assessment and receive information about local resources. If you can’t get to a local screening event, you can always take an online screening at www.HelpYourselfHelpOthers.org.

You are not weak or have a character flaw if you suffer from a mental disorder. It just means you’re human. When you help yourself, you help others.